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MERRY CHRISTMAS CAKE
I couldn't find room for this recipe in the updated version of "An Amish Christmas", but it is still a neat recipe from the Amish Cook archives. So if you're looking for a different, delicious dessert for your holiday gathering, give this one a try.... The recipe calls for dates, which tells me the recipe was (this is very common) introduced to an Amish cook in the Berne area by a non-Amish person and the recipe just became very popular around the holidays.
3 /4 cup butter, softened
2 1 /2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 3 /4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sifted cake flour
1 /2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 /2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1 /2 cup milk
3 /4 cup egg whites, about 6
3 /4 pound dates, chopped
1 /2 cup walnuts or pecans
1 box powdered sugar
red and green candied cherries
Cream butter and 1 1 /2 cups sugar. Sift 2 3/4 cups flour, baking powder and salt together. Add alternately with 1 cup milk to sugar mixture; add 1 teaspoon vanilla and almond extract. Beat egg whites and fold into batter. Bake in 3 9-inch pans in 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Cool. In a saucepan, cook dates and 1 /2 cup sugar with 3 /4 cup water until thickened. Remove from heat and add nuts. Cool. Place one cake layer on plate and spread with 1 /2 date mixture. Add another layer and spread with rest of date mixture. Place remaining layer on top. Beat shortening with remaining sugar, flour and milk ,and a pinch of salt. Frost top an sides. As soon as frosted spread top and sides with coconut. Decorate top with 5 red candied cheeries cut into poinsetta shape. Use green cherrries for leaves and candided silver balls for the center.
Amish Turkey Loaf
Okay, save this for your leftovers next week!
About 10 days from now most us will be swimming in turkey leftovers, perfect for cold sandwiches and the like. But this is a simple recipe for a homemade turkey loaf out of the Amish Cook archives. Enjoy!
Amish Turkey Loaf
3 cups diced turkey
8 slices bread
1/2 cup diced celery
1 onion, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients together and place in greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes. Serve with gravy.
Pumpkin Chip Cookies
This is a delicious recipe from the Amish Cook archives. It's very moist cookie and very appropriate for this time of year. It takes a chocolate chip cookie and infuses it with the sweet taste of pumpkin. I haven't had this in years, but it is delicious, I may have to make some!
1 can pumpkin (or equivalent fresh)
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 teaspooons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 ounce package of chocolate chips
Mix sugar, oil, eggs, milk, vanilla, and pumpkin. Sift dry ingredients and add gradually. Mix well. Stir in chips and then drop by spoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake in 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.
AMISH CRUMB PIE
This is an easy recipe from the archives, very typical Amish culinary ingenuity! The pie is sweet, easy to make and you probably have all the ingredents on hand already!
1 cup brown sugar
1 /2 cup maple syrup
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 /4 cup shortening
1 /2 teaspoon baking soda
1 /2 teaspoon baking powder
Combine 1 /2 cup brown sugar, syrup, one tablespoon flour, egg, one cup water and vanilla in saucepan and cook until thickened. Pour into a 9-inch unbaked pastry pie crust. Mix together remaining flour, brown sugar, soda, and baking powder then cut in shortening. Sprinkle over top of filling and bake at 350 until done (about 1 hour).
OLD-FASHIONED BUTTERSCOTCH COOKIES
Yum...what is there not to like about butterscotch? If properly done, I almost prefer the sweet burst of butterscotch taste over a gooey chocolate cookie. This is an excellent recipe from the Amish Cook archives. Give it a try!
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup shortening
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda (heaping)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1 /2 teaspoon vanilla
1 /2 cup sour milk
Cream shortening and sugars. Add eggs and beat well. Sift dry ingredients together. Add vanilla to sour milk, then stir in flour mixture alternately with milk mixture. Dough will be rather sticky. Form into rolls and wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate overnight. Slice into 1 /4 inch thick slices and put onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes until golden brown. Makes 5 to 7 dozen.
Tomato Fritters....
In case anyone is still getting tomatoes from their garden at this late date, I thought I would share a recipe from the Amish Cook archives (not sure if I have shared it before). This is a great way to use up tomatoes if you have excess ones. This makes a flavorful, firm patty. Amish homemakers often use zucchini, tomatoes, and even pumpkin in "patty" type recipes.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon finely minced onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs
Vegetable oil for frying
In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and basil. Cut tomatoes in 1/2-inch pieces and drain. Add them, along with onion, parsley and Worcestershire sauce to flour mixture, but do not mix.
In small bowl beat eggs and add to flour-tomato mixture. Blend lightly with fork. Heat 1/4 inch of oil in skillet over medium heat. Drop batter by tablespoon, patting down with back of spoon. Fry until golden brown on one side, then turn and fry other side. Keep fritters warm until serving time.
Makes 26 fritters or 4 to 6 servings.
Homemade Amish Pumpkin Muffins
Okay, we are approaching pumpkin season. The flaming orange orbs, which are a mainstay in most Amish gardens, will be ready to harvest in many gardens by month's end. Unlike non-Amish society where pumpkins seem to be used more as a Halloween ornament or autumn decoration, Amish homemakers actually use the versatile innards of a pumpkin for food. Pumpkin butters, pancakes, waffles, cakes, and rolls are quite common on menus this time of year. Most Amish homemakers use fresh pumpkin which has a lighter color than the darker canned store-bought. One of the more unique Amish twists on pumpkin I've run into is pumpkin muffins. Try this moist, delicious recipe! Oh, and by the way, for what it's worth: Yoder's Kitchen in Sarasota has the best Amish-style pumpkin pancakes I've tried anywhere!
3 1/3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
3 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. baking soda
3 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 c. oil
4 eggs
2/3 c. water
2 c. pumpkin
4 eggs
2/3 c. water
2 c. pumpkin
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients well. Then add the vegetable oil, eggs, water, and pumpkin.Prepare muffin tins by greasing with vegetable oil or butter and sprinkling lightly with flour. Shake out excess.
Fill muffin tins three-quarters full and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
HOMEMADE CHERRY BARS
This is a delicious way to use a can of cherry pie filling or make your own homemade cherry pie filling using fresh cherries. This is a classic Amish concoction: simple and tasty.
1 cup margarine
1 1 /2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 3 /4 cups flour
1 1 /2 teaspoon baking powder
1 /2 teaspoon salt
21 ounce can of cherry pie filling
Preheat oven to 350. Mix margarine, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Mix until well-blended. Spread two-thirds of batter into a 10 X 15 inch pan. Pour pie filling over batter and spread. Drop rest of batter on top and spread. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Cool and cut into 1 inch square bars.
REFRIGERATOR Pickles
I've posted Lovina's recipe for homemade "freezer pickles" several times on this website, but what about "refrigerator pickles?" A reader recently sent me a yellowed clipping of one of Elizabeth Coblentz's old columns. The date is August 23, 2000 and she shares her recipe for refrigerator pickles:
1 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups white sugar
6 cups sliced cucumbers
1 cup sliced onions
1 cup sliced green peppers
Heat first 3 ingredients to boiling until sugar is dissolved. Pour mixture over cucumbers, onions, and peppers. Put into covered contained and refrigerate.
Got Extra Tomatoes?
AMISH TOMATO PATTIES
This is a recipe I found recently in my old Amish Cook recipe archives, looks like a great way to use up some the summer tomatoes!
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. dried basil OR
2 tbsp. fresh basil, minced
1 tbsp. parsley, minced
1 egg
Vegetable oil for frying
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
4 to 5 fresh tomatoes
1 tbsp. onions, minced
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, basil and salt. Cut tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces and drain further on a paper towel. Add them to the flour mixture along with onion, parsley and Worcestershire sauce, but do not mix in. In small bowl, beat egg and add it to the flour-tomato mixture. Blend lightly with a fork. Heat oil (about 1/4 inch) in fry pan. Drop the batter by tablespoons into hot oil. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Keep fritters warm in oven until serving. Serves 4 - 6.
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